The First Welcome
by Vol lady
Summary: Audra's son is the first member of the next generation of Barkleys. Victoria arranges a happy welcome into the family for him. Happy holidays for Victoria fans.


The First Welcome

Victoria Barkley was a bit surprised when her first grandchild was born. She was certain it would be one of her sons who gave him to her – probably Jarrod since he was oldest – but it was Audra. Her daughter had married at 21 and now at 22 had her first, a son, named Thomas Barkley Leatherman. Victoria was elated that Audra and her husband, James Leatherman, gave her husband's name to their first child. She was so happy when he was born, she could have burst at the seams, and then they told her what his name would be and she did burst into happy tears. As soon as she got hold of that baby she almost refused to give him up.

It was a long labor for Audra and she was pretty exhausted, but she was well and Thomas was healthy. His father and uncles had time to pass him around before giving him up to his mother. Victoria stayed for a moment as Audra lifted Thomas to her breast. Victoria thought she had never seen anything so beautiful.

"Well, what do you think?" Nick asked when Victoria joined her sons downstairs while James stayed with his wife and son.

"I think I'm the happiest grandmother on earth," Victoria said.

"Would the happiest grandmother on earth join the happiest uncles for a toast?" Jarrod asked and handed his mother a glass of champagne.

Victoria took the glass and lifted it. "As long as I can make the first toast."

Her sons all nodded to her.

"To the first member of the next generation of Barkleys," Victoria said. "May he always be surrounded with love, may he have long life and good health, and may brothers and sisters and cousins join him soon."

"Funny you should mention that," Heath said. "I have a little surprise of my own."

Nick broke into a grin. "No!"

"No," Heath said. "She said yes."

"Oh!" Victoria burst again, almost spilling her champagne as she threw her arms around her adopted son. "When?! When?!"

"We haven't set a date yet," Heath said. "Miriam wants to give her mother and father time to contact the relatives and get the trousseau ready."

Jarrod raised his champagne again. "My turn to offer the toast. To Heath and Miriam Barkley – may they have love and long life and even more little Barkleys to add to the crew."

Victoria drank, and then sighed, looking at her older sons. "But nothing in the works for either of you?"

"Not yet," Nick said.

Jarrod simply kept quiet. It had only been a bit over a year since he lost his Beth. He definitely was not ready yet, for a host of reasons, but he had no trouble being happy for others. Victoria gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then gave one to Nick. "Time," she said, and left it at that.

Victoria remembered all of that when she bundled up her daughter and her four month-old son and drove them in the buggy, out to visit the grave of the man who gave him his name. It was a sad time, but also a wonderful time. Victoria took the baby as Audra climbed down, and Audra let her keep Thomas in her arms as they came next to the grave.

"Thomas," Victoria said, talking softly to the baby. "This is your grandfather, the man you were named after. He died many years ago now and I'm sorry he isn't here to greet you personally, but I want you to know, he'd have been thrilled to have you join our little family. Tom, this is your namesake, your first grandchild, Thomas Barkley Leatherman."

Thomas squirmed and Audra took him back. She saw her mother dab tears. After all this time, she still dabbed tears when she came here. Audra didn't blame her. "You know," Audra said, "I have a feeling Thomas here is going to end up looking like Father."

"What makes you say that?" Victoria said.

"He already has the blue eyes, and there's something in his nose and his mouth that just tells me when he's a young man, he's going to look just like father did when he was young."

"Oh, I would love to live long enough to see that," Victoria said. "Whether I do or not is up to God, but it would be so good to see your father again. Heath favors him, but not as much as I would like. Jarrod is just me with my coloring but your father's eyes, and Nick is me all over. I'd just like to see your father again."

Thomas squirmed some more. Audra lifted him to her shoulder and patted him a bit on the back.

Victoria looked for a moment at the grave next to her husband's, the grave that belonged to Jarrod's wife Beth. It was still difficult to look there, but somehow, she always wanted to include Beth in the Barkley family, even if Beth was with them for an excruciatingly brief time. It was still hard for Jarrod to do that. Victoria felt the need to do it for him. "Beth, this is your nephew, Thomas Barkley Leatherman. I wish you had gotten to meet his mother. Your husband was nuts about his little sister, and when their father died, it was Jarrod who helped me raise her. He'd have made an excellent father for your children. But, even if that can't be, I still want you to meet your nephew."

Audra carefully handed Thomas back to her. He may have been only four months old, but Thomas was beginning to show emotion in his face, and at the moment he just looked baffled, as if he were saying, "Why are you talking to people who aren't here and handing me back and forth while you do it?"

Victoria turned Thomas in her arms and showed him to her husband and her daughter-in-law. "Meet the family, Thomas," she said. Thomas squirmed some more and Victoria handed him back to his mother. That was when she saw they weren't alone.

Jarrod had come up quietly behind them, his hat in his hands. He had heard what his mother had said to his late wife, and he was smiling. He came up beside her and put his arm around her, and he said, "Thank you."

"I didn't know you were coming here," Victoria said.

"Neither did I," Jarrod said. "I was heading to town not far behind you and I saw you turn off the road to come here. I thought about just riding by, but then I couldn't do it. I thought you might be introducing Thomas to my wife as well as to father. I couldn't miss out on that."

Jarrod reached and tickled Thomas under the chin. Thomas hadn't quite mastered laughing yet, but he did wave his arms and make a funny face.

Audra looked over her shoulder and saw that two others were coming toward them on horseback. She smiled. "Mother, I think we have some more company coming."

Victoria looked and saw Nick and Heath coming. Jarrod said, "I knew they were right behind me. You don't mind, do you? I mean, I know you wanted a private moment with father."

"No, I don't mind at all," Victoria said as Nick and Heath rode up and dismounted. "Tom, you don't mind, do you?" she asked her husband.

"Of course he wouldn't mind," Audra said.

Nick and Heath came up behind them. Nick gave Thomas another little chuck under the chin, and Heath said, "Well, it looks like the newest Barkley has been properly introduced into the clan."

Thomas suddenly gave a lusty, "Ah!"

Which made everyone laugh again. Jarrod said, "We should do this every time we get a new arrival. Gather us all together and be with everyone we love, whether they're with us or whether they've gone on ahead of us."

Nick said, "I like the idea. Heath, you're up next."

"Let's get me married first, Nick," Heath said.

"Haven't you set a date yet?" Victoria asked.

"Actually, we decided on one last night," Heath said. "I hope you don't mind, Mother, but we thought maybe we'd be married on Father's birthday."

Victoria nearly burst into tears. She remembered how hard it had been for Heath to accept Tom as his father, far harder than it had been to accept the family as his family. She remembered the statue and the boots. And now, Heath was thinking of his father when planning his wedding. "Oh, no, I don't mind one bit!" she said and fell into Heath's arms.

Both Jarrod and Nick gave Heath slaps on the back – and out of the blue, little Thomas reached a hand out to his Uncle Heath, too. Heath laughed and slapped hands with him, very gently. Thomas let his head fall against his mother's shoulder. All this activity was tiring – after all, he was only four months old.

"I guess I might as well add to the good news," Nick said, and everyone looked at him expectantly. He smiled smugly. "I'm going to the dentist today and I'm gonna let him take that bad tooth out."

Groans of disappointed expectations, but also "finally!" went all around. It wasn't quite the joyous news they had expected, but on the other hand, that tooth had needed to come out for a while.

"What do you think, Thomas?" Nick asked the baby.

Thomas squirmed and started to cry.

As Audra laughed, Nick said, "Yeah, that's kind of the way I've been feeling about it, too."

Heath said, "Well, let's just get you there before you change your mind."

Nick and Heath headed for their horses, and Jarrod kissed his mother and sister, saying, "I need to get to town, too. Thomas – welcome to the clan!"

Nick and Heath waited for Jarrod to mount up, and they all took off together. Victoria and Audra watched them go, and then Victoria turned back to her husband's grave. And smiled. "Tom, I think we did all right."

"Ah!" Thomas said again.

The End


End file.
